The Nelson ‘Carty’ Ford Memorial Gallery, dedicated on April 30th, 2024, is an integrated gallery in the gathering spaces and walkways of WPAA-TV and Community Media Center. Nelson served on the Board of Directors from 2015-17.
Nelson served as the arts ambassador. His fine art series, Bricks Seeking Words (produced in the 1980s), graced our space until his passing in Dec. 2023. A few pieces from the series are on loan again to the gallery. Using art to solve problems was his inspiration. WPAA-TV and Community Media Center’s journey into #MoreThanTV began as a #PowerfulWildFree4Arts.
Artistic Director, Josiah Houston
In 2015, we commissioned mural artists ARCY to help transform blight with art. We never anticipated seeing the north side of our renovated 1924 cow barn. Through a community-wide naming contest, the spray-painted tiger was named HERCULES. He was a literal 2-story stretch. Hercules was the largest mural Ryan Christenson #ARCY had ever completed alone. He is now internationally known for his large-scale murals.
ARTivists join our ACTORvists: The Gallery
Our collection seeks to engage visitors in a fuller understanding of our collective humanity and the earth we share. Gatherings are opportunities for conversation that may lead to compassionate change within us or around us. Protest signs and posters often claim this ARTivists space. We offer our brave, safe creative space to visual artists in Nelson’s honor because Democracy is a Creative Practice. Nelson distrusted, as James Baldwin did: I really don’t like words like “artist” or “integrity” or “courage” or “nobility.” I have a kind of distrust of all those words because I don’t really know what they mean, any more than I really know what such words as “democracy” or “peace” or “peace-loving” or “warlike” or “integration” mean. And yet one is compelled to recognize that all these imprecise words are attempts made by us all to get to something which is real and which lives behind the words. Whether I like it or not, … the only word for me, … is that I am an artist. There is such a thing. There is such a thing as integrity…as courage. The terrible thing is that the reality behind these words depends ultimately on what the human being (meaning every single one of us) believes to be real. The terrible thing is that the reality behind all these words depends on choices one has got to make, for ever and ever and ever, every day.
Ann P Lehman ~ Conversation, Conversation with Earth
Apollo Maldonado ~ Interactive Fine Art ‘In Concert‘ (Featured AR View) added Oct 18, 2025
C B King ~ A Pawnee Brave Lithograph
Charles Buzinsky ~ StreetshotZ (Featured)
Christine Tyler Hill ~ While The World Burns, Pale Blue Dot ~ Risographs (added Dec.2025)
Christine Webster ~ Naval Base at Sunrise
David Sepulveda ~ Upcycled Mobiles (Sunflowers at the time of war and others)
George Nathan ~ Village Scene (Folk Art)
Heather Art Starr ~ Mirrored Unicorn Farts
Helen Hoelck ~ Doodle
Iyabo Ibo Mandingo ~ We Are Not Like U (Featured), Gathering, Stop & Frisk, Scored Words IyabArts
Josiah Houston ~ Masks
Loiuse Gorsline ~ Dragonfly Spirit
Michael Schleif ~ Space Bears (Video Poster) – Movie 2022 ACM-NE Nor’easter Finalist
Mosaic Magic Team ~ Mission in Mosaic Gallery53 Team
Ned Farrell ~ World in Gold
Nelson ‘Carty’ Ford ~ Bricks Seeking Words, No Race, Sistine as I See It and more (Featured)
Padro Luis Raota ~ Wind From The South (Print)
Rashmi ~ Cockfight
Robert Sims ~ Marvin Gaye Reverberations
Ryk Wilkinson (Vietnam Veteran) ~ Metalworks: Tricycler, Dragon, Bird of Prey
Sal DelGreco ~ The Sparrow Falling (Illustration, Poster, Photos)
Stefania Munzi ~ Finger Talk & Check Minus (Book Illustrations)
Steve Bowden & UCONN Graphic Design Students (2018) ~ Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Susan Clinard ~ Boats, Words to Live By Portrait Collages, and more
Susan Haag ~ Sunflower Bag (Upcycle)
Tim Sway New Perspective Music ~ Dedication Sign, Shag Guitar, Diffusion in Wood, Interactive ‘Liberty For All’
Tony Baker ~ Reassembled, Youth Silenced
1999 Refugee Annual Report Cover
Peace Cranes ~ Gallery53
Artivist Art on the Global Stage
When you visit the Nelson ‘Carty’ Ford Memorial Gallery, you will see a mini framed assemblage that brings together seven powerful perspectives on war & suffering by international ARTivists. The piece explores themes of global solidarity, human suffering, and the vital, yet perilous role of free journalism. Spanning a century of resistance—from 1924 expressionist lithographs to 2024 contemporary proofs—the assemblage serves as a visual dialogue on our shared humanity. We asked but did failed to acquire. Still we wish for the work to be seen: Mohamad Hafez
The Artwork & Artists: Dai Abbas ~ Slice of Resistance (Watermelon illustration representing Palestinian resistance), Jonathan McBurnie (Attributed) ~ Figures on Pink, Käthe Kollwitz ~ Germany’s Children Starve! (1924 Expressionist Lithograph), Mohamed El-Metmari ~ Refugees in Their Own Homeland & Gaza Daily Sorrows, Muftah Elsheref ~ Palestine Solidarity Palestinian Journalists (2024 Blue “PRESS” helmet proof), Suhad Khatib ~ Annihaya (The End) (Painting of a mourning figure).
Special thanks to contributing artist Mohamed El-Metmari for granting formal permission to be within this assemblage. More from Mohamed here.